


Sign No More

by KatherineAJones



Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: Copious Amounts of Fluff, Late Night Writing, M/M, although I am rather alert considering it's 1:30 and I'm editing, it will make your teeth rot, just so you know, post "one foot on sea one on shore on in the boiling hot lava", really just a confession of feelings, so woo!, the title is cliché I know but as I said it's 1:30am and I can think of nothing better, uuuhhhhh...does kissing need to be tagged?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-24 17:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3776833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatherineAJones/pseuds/KatherineAJones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically, this is the conversation Balthy and Pedro have after Ben is trying to set them up in Hero's bedroom. There's not much else to say. It's super fluffy, though! No angst. Haley.</p>
<p>There may also be a tiny bit of OOC, but it's hard to characterize Balthy when you see/hear so little of/from him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sign No More

**Author's Note:**

  * For [haleyisafangirl (haleingoutside)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haleingoutside/gifts).



> To Haley: This is what you get, my dear friend, for getting me hook on this web series. This is all your fault. Suffer through the consequences.
> 
> To everyone else: Lucky girl doesn't really get punished for introducing me to new fandoms that just suck up more of my time. Oh well, one day there will be justice. Until then, I'll just write out my feels and frustrations.
> 
> Also, this was supposed to be super short, but, well...I got a bit carried away, as I oft' do.
> 
> Enjoy!

Pedro weaved through the crowd, glancing back at Balthazar every now and then, shooting him a quick and (hopefully) confident smile. Balthazar just sent back that quiet smile he was so well known for.

Strictly speaking, the crowd in the house wasn’t so hard to navigate that Pedro needed to be holding Balthazar’s hand to keep track of him, but he found that even just the thought of letting go made him want to hold the hand tighter.

Finally, they arrived at Beatrice’s room (which, yes, looked like a hurricane had gone through it, but was also one of the most private places in the house), and Pedro led Balthazar over to the bed.

They sat as they had many times in the past: backs against the wall and legs crossed. At this point, Pedro was able to force himself to let go of Balthazar’s hand, but only because their knees were touching, even if barely.

There was silence for a few moments as Pedro calmed down, collected himself, and figured out what exactly he was going to say.

“First off,” Pedro starts, staring at the wall on the other side of the room, “I would like to apologize for Ben and John’s little act back there. ‘Course, you know them.” They shared a grin at that, because yes, they did know those two crazy kids.

“Second off,” Pedro continued, running a hand through his hair, “I’m so glad you’re patient because it might take a while for me to get everything out.”

A calloused hand reached for his and twined their fingers together. Pedro smiled a little at that, squeezing the hand the tiniest bit as a thanks, before continuing.

“I know that normally, when you ask someone out, you don’t go through all of the reasons why you’re attracted to them – Lord do I know you don’t do that – but I think I sort of have to.

“I was first attracted to being friends with you because of how kind you are to everyone. Our stupid friends Bea and Ben, and how you helped them share their feelings with each other, is enough proof of that. You’re always there for other people, no matter what’s going on in your life, and you listen and love unconditionally. Which is, quite honestly, incredible.

“After that, I started noticing things about you. The way you smile just slightly when you sing, so obviously enjoying it but wanting to be able to keep making the right sounds. The way you curl up when you’re reading a book, completely disappearing into the adventure. God, it takes forever to get you out of those books once you start,” Pedro couldn’t help a fond grin at this part, “The way you can spend hours on composing just one song, absolutely determined to get it right.

“It wasn’t long after I started noticing these things about you that I started noticing things about me. I noticed how my heart sped up every time I was around you, how I couldn’t seem to stop smiling, how I couldn’t stop my eyes from wandering over to watch you. Simply put, I started to notice how in love with you I was.

“Which was terrifying. I tried not to let it show, but I was so scared that I would mess something up and you would leave forever. But even when I did mess up, you still stuck by me, no matter what. I was also scared that if I ever did tell you how I feel, you would laugh or it would get awkward or something.

“And then John had to go and bring up my crush on you just now and, well, I hope it wasn’t a stupid decision to tell you how I feel and ask if you would ever consider going on a date with me.”

Balthazar’s quiet presence was yet another thing Pedro had fallen in love with, and normally, he was perfectly fine with speaking enough for both of them, but just now he was wishing Balthazar would say something, anything. If he didn’t, Pedro was likely to say something stupid like, “You’re too good, I don’t deserve you, forget I ever said anything.”

Just as he was opening his dumb mouth, Balthazar took a deep breath, effectively stopping Pedro from speaking.

“Obviously you know I came out in 10th year, but I doubt you know I knew in 9th year. That was the year I started liking you as more than a friend. Like you, I was terrified. You were this unstoppable force, loved by everyone, and so sure of yourself. I didn’t want to lose you, so I kept quiet for a year. Eventually, I realized that I didn’t need to tell people that I liked you to get them to stop suggesting girls to me, so I came out. It wasn’t long before others were coming to me for advice about coming out and confessing the names of people they liked,” Balthazar directed a tiny grin at the bedspread, “I nearly punched Tony in the face when he told me he liked you.

“I’m not going to lie and say that you haven’t done some pretty stupid things recently, because you really should have fact checked, or at least stopped to think for a moment, but I know you were trying to do what you thought best for Claudio because that’s what comes naturally to you.”

Balthazar leaned his head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling with a small smile on his lips, completely aware of Pedro’s eyes on him. He took another deep breath before rolling his head towards Pedro and meeting his best friend’s eyes, determined to get out the next sentence if it killed him, “But I would be even more of an idiot than you if I said no to a date with you.”

The grin that lit up Pedro’s face made every word worth it.

The kiss that followed made all the years of hidden longing worth it.

Pedro slid one hand over Balthazar’s jaw line and tangled the other in his hair, his lips moving smoothly over Balthazar’s. Balthazar, in turn, placed one hand on Pedro’s knee and the other at the juncture between his neck and shoulder, turning his body a little so they sat more comfortably. Balthazar hadn’t had much experience in the area of kissing, but he did his best and if the smile against his lips was any indication, he was doing fine.

When they finally moved apart in need of air, that grin was back on Pedro’s lips and Balthazar had to pull his head out of the blonde’s hands and bury it in his shoulder out of embarrassment, suddenly shy.

Pedro laughed a little and wrapped his arms around Balthazar’s waist before letting gravity pull them both down onto the bed. They shifted a little until they were comfortable again, Balthazar’s head resting on Pedro’s chest and an arm draped over his waist, while Pedro had one hand rubbing Balthazar’s back and the other running through his spiky hair.

They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the quiet between them and vaguely listening to the party going on just outside the door.

“So, that Ode, then . . .”

“Hmm?” Balthazar hummed, already feeling sleepy from all of the excitement of just being at a party and being around people. Or maybe it was just because the steady beating of Pedro’s heart was so comforting.

“Was . . . a love song?”

“Mmmmhm,” Balthazar yawned and breathed Pedro’s scent in deeply. Grass, clean linen, and a hint of his favorite cologne.

Pedro squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, “I feel like such an idiot. No wonder you were so standoffish after I posted it with that comment about it being funny in the description.”

Balthazar laughed a little, “Yeah, it was right stupid of you. I swore to myself I wasn’t gonna speak to you for at least a month,” he snorted at that. “Apparently, I can’t even go a week.”

That made Pedro feel a little better, but he pressed an apology kiss to the crown of Balthazar’s head just to be safe.

Balthazar shifted until he was laying on top of Pedro, his legs resting between Pedro’s on the bed, his arms folded on Pedro’s chest, and his chin resting on his arms. Pedro wrapped his arms tightly around Balthazar’s waist and Balthazar allowed himself a moment to revel in the comfort and safety he felt in those arms. Was allowed to feel in those arms.

“I have a question for you, though.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” Pedro asked, tone teasing.

“How could you not have known about me liking you? All of our other friends did.”

Pedro hummed contemplatively and replied, “I guess I was just that oblivious when I was younger – or you were that good at hiding it around me – and then when I realized I liked you, I didn’t want to allow myself to think that you could like me incase you didn’t.”

Balthazar smiled at that and buried his face in Pedro’s chest to hide his blush, not entirely sure how to reply.

There was comfortable silence for a few moments because Pedro broke it by mentioning, “Speaking of our friends, we’re going to need to tell them at some point in time.”

Balthazar snorted, “You literally just dragged me through all of them and into a bedroom by the hand. I think they know.”

As he still had his face buried in Pedro’s chest, Balthazar missed Pedro sticking his tongue out, but he did feel the tightening of his arms and it made him smile.

“Out of curiousity, when is the soonest possible time we could go on that date?”

Balthazar lifted his head up and sighed, pretending to think it over, and deciding to mess with Pedro a bit, “Well, for the next month or so, I have gigs scheduled for every night and I was planning on recording a bunch of songs with Ursula during the days to get more of my music out there and hopefully draw attention to it, so I don’t really know. Maybe a week before we leave for uni? You know, before we start panicking about packing and saying goodbye to everyone.”

Pedro blanched and Balthazar couldn’t keep up the act any longer, bursting out laughing, “God, I wish you could see your face! I’m only joking, man! Jeez, I would be perfectly happy to go right now and get out of this party. I mean, I love the Dukes and all, but I really hate parties.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” It’s not sarcastic, just a quietly said statement, with Pedro staring at Balthazar with unreadable eyes but a small smile. It makes Balthazar happy, to feel so well understood by the guy who has been his best friend and his biggest crush for so long.

“So, what do you say? It’s only,” Balthazar checks his phone, “nine o’clock. We could still catch a movie.”

“Oh, yeah? Darkened movie theater and all that?” Pedro grins as Balthazar’s cheeks turn pink.

“I mean, if you’re not opposed, I’m not opposed,” Balthazar replies with a grin of his own.

It takes them a few minutes to roll off the bed and stop laughing when, despite all their efforts, they just end up tangled together on the floor, but eventually, they make it out the door and the house and to Pedro’s car.

Pedro sends a quick text to Ben to let him know they’re leaving and to please thank Beatrice and Hero for the party for them with an apology about them leaving early. Ben sends back a winky face.

It’s only when they’re back at Pedro’s house after the movie and lying in Pedro’s bed together (not an uncommon occurrence in their friendship) that Balthazar realizes just what this all means.

“Shit, you’re going to hear all of my sarcasm now.”

“What? I didn’t before?” Pedro asks with a dubious eyebrow.

Balthazar shook his head, “I was always so nervous around you and trying not to reveal anything about my feelings that a lot of the stuff I would normally say to other people was just kept in my head.”

Pedro laughed and kissed Balthazar’s forehead, “You really are just too precious and sweet. I don’t know how it all fits into your tiny body.”

Balthazar stuck his tongue out, “And you’re going to have to stop complimenting me like that because it tempts me to start complimenting you back.”

“Oh yeah?” There was a challenging glint in Pedro’s eyes, but Balthazar couldn’t bring himself to regret his words, “And what exactly would you say?”

Balthazar took Pedro’s hand in his and started tracing patterns on it as a stalling mechanism, pretending to think, but really he’d had these words planned out for years, “You’re really, really funny. You can always make me smile and laugh. You also care deeply about your friends and always do what you think is best for them, help them in any way you can. You’re smart, and athletic, and welcoming. You are also very nice and kind, despite what you may think to the contrary right now. Should I go on?”

Pedro took a deep breath and let it out with a smile, “I’m tempted to say yes, but I don’t want you to wear out your pretty voice.”

“Ha ha,” Balthazar deadpanned, but his lips still curled up in the corners.

Pedro quickly kissed that smile away.

When they separated, they wrapped their arms around each other and relaxed into the pillow and the bed.

It was silent for a long while, and Balthazar thought Pedro might have fallen asleep, but he also wanted to get this out, so he whispered, “Hey, Pedro?”

“Mmmm?” came the sleepy reply.

“I think . . . I might love you.”

Pedro sighed and whispered back, “Good.”

“Why’s that?” Balthazar asked with a furrowed brow.

“Because I love you, too.”


End file.
